To think Australia have really gone and done it now?? Shocked and disgusted.

They've basically decided that ANY refugee coming to Australia on a boat will now be "processed" on one of their offshore facilities....like Manus Island where there have been numerous suicide attempts and conditions are DREADFUl with people slepeing in places with no doors or in metal storage containers...this is in HIGH heat.

I am shocked. And disappointed... we are talking about refugees here. People already traumatised and lost. The places they're being sent to now are already under investigation for their disgusting conditions.

I suppose I see racism from other countries/religions too and its just as crappy. Two sprimg to mind: 'marrying a pakistani? We don't see them as human' from an educated man from a ME country, of 'oh shit muslims have moved into the street!' From a African/Indian. Both serious.

I'm not english but live here and my son is - so no picking on the English please! I've never had a problem with my accent, upbringing, neither has DH. You can't just say a whole nation is X Y or Z. I've travelled enough and see that abroad people act differently than at home.

Moom, it hasn't been that long since I finished my degree in History, so while I don't blame the British for the worlds problems, it is hard to deny the lasting legacy of British Colonialism. There are so many current examples it should be easy to see it in any newspaper.

At least the Aussies just have racism to be embarrassed about. If you actually travelled the world a bit more you'd see that English people are not only racist, but also extremely, extremely prejudice against others (usually other English people) based on their accent, schooling and upbringing. As one of the English mums in my class said "there are so many mums in my class from up north. I don't know what to say to them, we have nothing in common".

Maybe we need a history book that goes back a little further, or looks at the miliatary/political history of ex Soviet Union territories, China, Japan, Turkey, Persia, the Romans.... What about France, Belgium, Spain... Oh we are forgetting religion! The Catholic church! Or ask a Persian what they think of the Islamic conquest of their culture and native religions too whilst you're at it. Its been a long time since I picked up a history book but I seem to remember that most of the world has shat upon other territories in some was in the past and left a mess.

Redneck is just a horrible expression - short hand for an uneducated, racist, drunken yeehaw. It. Can't see it being used in a compementary way.

Calling all Australians Red Necks is racist. Calling a government policy xenophobic or inhumane is fine. Pointing out governmental (sometimes supported by large parts of the population) policy that is at odds with it foreign affair war matters is also fine.

While we are at it, lets play a game of identifing a global political hot spot or war zone that wasn't originally occupied by the British Army. I'll start it off: Israel-Palestine, India/Pakistan, Iraq, Ireland. Pile on, people of Oz if you feel like it. The OP demands the truth.

here you will see that even Aussie politicians are not shy of the word Redneck

So because the politicians say it, it is OK to say that we are all rednecks then? By your explanation, people who believe they are not "rednecks" should not be offended by the term then? Is that is what your garbled message of 10:27 means And thinking about it....the term Redneck is not offensive if it does not apply to you....if you are no racist then you have no worries do you?

You have retracted it [the redneck comment] before now, but here you are, still casting that net. Which tells me, that you are not sorry that you said it at all. You are just doing [badly, may I add] damage limitation & trying to dig yourself out of the hole you are digging even deeper.

You pleb (which won't offend you at all, unless you really are a pleb, in which case meh!)

Just joining in with a sigh to say that I am Australian, I am not a redneck, I oppose what our government has done and like many people I know, I support the asylum seekers www.asrc.org.au/I am not so ignorant that I would call another whole country "racist".

Wondered how long it would be before wog came into it. I have lived here 7 years now & have only ever heard the term wog to describe an illness. My friends & MIL all say "I have a wog" as in, "I have a cold"

Wonder when you will all start complaining that we have a cheese called Coon!

Before going off half cocked, it might be worth actually doing a bit of research in to the legislation that was passed. The change was passed to say that asylum seekers who arrive directly to the Australian mainland through non official channels (aka the 'boat people' ::cringes: will be treated as any other asylum seeker or refugee. Which means you may be processed off shore. Now whilst I don't agree with the current processing of refugees and off shore centres, I can see somewhat what they are trying to do with this legislation. They're saying that you won't be any better off by squeezing yourself in to a leaky boat where you may or may not survive the journey just to land on the rocky shores of Australia, then try and trek through the desert. There is no benefit to attempting to enter the country this way, better to spend the money with Qantas and come in through official channels.

We need to stop the people smugglers who are charging a fortune, are just as likely to dump you in the ocean halfway there than they are to deliver you to your promised destination, and that's if you're not raped or killed through disease or starvation or exposure on the way. We need to stop these people. It's not those genuinely desperate for a better life that we want to stop from coming, we want to stop the people taking advantage of these desperate people in the first place.

Now, I absolutely detest the concept of detention camps, and I find so much of the whole argument completely distasteful, but I don't think this particular piece of legislation warrants the disgusting racist comments that have been posted here.

In the Tampa incident, Australia kept refugees (mostly from Afghanistan) off shore while just a few weeks later, joining the Coalition of the Willing, in invading Afghanistan, thus creating tens of thousands, if not more, refugees and displaced peoples.

If they weren't ashamed of themselves then, I fail to see how this is going to cause uproar.

I think Australia should take in the pacific peoples who are being displaced because of rising sea levels. There are not that many of them, they are already our neighbours and it would be easy and not that expensive.

Thinking about it, I don't mind being called a redneck, I have met people who identify as rednecks. They gave me deep fried steak and were very kind to me and my family despite us not being 'white' (well we sort of are but like most Australians I know we are a mix).

OP what are you personally doing about the problem of people drowning off Indonesia on leaky boats run by gangs?

Children should not be in detention centres, of this I am sure. However, I do not know what the answer is, we can't separate them from their parents (don't need another stolen generation), we can't welcome the entire family with open arms for fear of encouraging others to make the dangerous journey.